Best Islands & Beaches in the World

Overwater bungalows, private sandbars, and reef sharks circling beneath your villa. The postcard is real.

Mount Otemanu rising from a lagoon so blue it looks artificial. Honeymoon territory, unapologetically luxurious.

Granite boulders framing white sand, prehistoric palm forests, and beaches so empty they filmed Castaway here.

Limestone karsts, secret lagoons, and island-hopping tours where the beaches have no one else on them.

Whitewashed villages perched on volcanic cliffs above the Aegean. Sunsets that earn every cliché thrown at them.

Sheer limestone walls rising from aquamarine water. Maya Bay reopened, the coral recovering, the crowds capped.

Thailand’s grown-up island - good beaches, better food, jungle waterfalls, and flights direct from Bangkok.

Spice-scented Stone Town, white sand on the east coast, and some of the Indian Ocean’s best-value beach lodges.

Grace Bay - routinely named the world’s best beach, and hard to argue with once you see the water.

Budget dorms and private-island resorts on neighboring islands. Warm people, kava ceremonies, and world-class soft coral.

Indian, Creole, and French influences collide in the kitchen. The beaches and the food compete for your attention.

Whitehaven Beach - seven kilometers of pure silica sand. Best seen from a sailboat with the Great Barrier Reef nearby.

Limestone karsts, secret lagoons, and $20 island-hopping tours to beaches with no one else on them.

Thailand’s grown-up island. Good beaches, night markets, jungle waterfalls, and direct flights from Bangkok.

Surf breaks, rice terraces, Hindu temples, and a nightlife scene that ranges from yoga retreats to all-night clubs.

Sheer limestone cliffs from aquamarine water. Maya Bay reopened with visitor caps and the coral is recovering.

Three tiny car-free islands off Lombok. One for parties, one for yoga, one for disappearing entirely.

Bali’s wilder neighbour. Manta ray snorkeling, cliff temples, and crystal-clear water without the crowds.

Four kilometers of white sand on a tiny island. The Philippines’ most famous beach, rebuilt after a cleanup closure.

The Philippines’ surf capital. Cloud 9 barrel, mangrove lagoons, and a backpacker scene that’s still finding its feet.

Grace Bay Beach - flour-white sand, turquoise water, and a reef that keeps the waves gentle. Not cheap, but flawless.

Rum shops, flying fish, Oistins Fish Fry on Friday nights. A Caribbean island with actual personality.

Volcanic peaks, rainforest trails, and the Pitons rising straight from the sea. Honeymoon favourite for good reason.

Outside the hurricane belt, sunshine almost every day. Eagle Beach, natural bridges, and reliable warmth year-round.

Pastel Dutch colonial architecture, excellent diving, and a local food scene that goes well beyond resort buffets.

Seven Mile Beach, stingray sandbar encounters, and some of the clearest water in the Caribbean.

365 beaches - one for every day, as the tourism board likes to say. Calm west coast, wild Atlantic east.

Pink sand beaches, pastel cottages, and mid-Atlantic isolation. Closer to the US East Coast than any Caribbean island.

Waikiki’s hotel strip, North Shore surf, and Diamond Head at sunrise. Five hours from LA, a world away.

Nā Pali Coast cliffs, Waimea Canyon, and beaches that feel untouched. Hawaii’s quietest major island.

Hotel Zone highrise strip backed by Mayan ruins, cenote swimming, and Isla Mujeres a short ferry ride away.

Beach-town bohemia on the Riviera Maya. Mayan clifftop ruins, cenotes in the jungle, and a laid-back pace.

Desert meets ocean at the tip of Baja. Sport fishing, El Arco sea arch, and reliable Pacific sunshine.

Island chain connected by 42 bridges, ending at Key West. Hemingway’s house, sunset at Mallory Square, pie.

El Yunque rainforest, Old San Juan’s colonial colour, and Flamenco Beach on Culebra. No passport needed from the US.

Rainforest meets Pacific beach. Sloths, monkeys, and toucans in the canopy above the sand.

Overwater villas, private sandbars, and reef sharks beneath your deck. Budget guesthouses exist too - since 2009.

Granite boulders, prehistoric palm forests, and beaches so photogenic they look art-directed.

Creole curries, French pastries, reef-sheltered beaches, and a UNESCO mountain you can actually hike.

Stone Town’s spice-market alleys, east coast white sand, and Indian Ocean beach lodges at a fraction of Maldives prices.

Ancient ruins, tea country, surf breaks, and a coastline that runs from whale watching to palm-fringed bays.

Volcanic peaks, cirques, and a wild interior best explored on foot. France’s Indian Ocean outpost, properly remote.

Lemurs, baobabs, and beaches that feel like the end of the earth. Undeveloped, unpredictable, unforgettable.

Remote Indian archipelago - empty white beaches, indigenous forests, and some of Asia’s best diving. No crowds, no rush.

Mount Otemanu rising from a lagoon so blue it looks rendered. The honeymoon island, expensive and worth it.

Backpacker dorms and private-island resorts on neighbouring islands. Warm culture, kava, and world-class soft coral.

Whitehaven Beach - seven kilometres of silica sand. Best experienced by sailboat with the Great Barrier Reef nearby.

Haleakalā at sunrise, the Road to Hana, and beaches in every colour - white, black, red, and green.

Volcanic peaks, black sand beaches, and the cultural heart of French Polynesia. Less polished than Bora Bora, more real.

Jellyfish Lake, pristine rock islands, and some of the most untouched diving in the Pacific.

Rarotonga’s lagoon, Aitutaki’s sandbars, and a Polynesian pace that makes Fiji look hurried.

Active volcanoes, blue holes, and a kastom culture largely untouched by mass tourism.

Caldera views, whitewashed villages, and sunsets that have launched a thousand Instagram accounts.

Greece’s largest island - Minoan ruins, mountain gorges, and south-coast beaches far from the cruise ships.

Two islands in one: legendary club scene on the west side, quiet coves and pine forests on the north.

Serra de Tramuntana mountains, limestone coves, and a Palma old town that rivals any city in mainland Spain.

Lavender fields, 13th-century fortress, and the Adriatic’s clearest water. Croatia’s most photogenic island.

Blue Grotto, lemon groves, clifftop walks, and day-trip crowds that vanish by late afternoon.

Italy’s wild coast - Costa Smeralda glamour in the northeast, empty beaches and nuraghi ruins everywhere else.

Walled old town, terracotta rooftops, and the Adriatic stretching to the horizon. Not an island, but earns its spot.